Duck, Duck... 🦆
Unlocking the Secrets of Confit
Greetings,
The New Year is in full swing… lots of cold fronts, chilly weather and winter freezes are popping up everywhere it seems.
Next week a 2-Part Series on Setting up Your Kitchen will be debuting for the Free Posts and a Deep Dive on making the perfect Risotto for Paid Subs. You don’t want to miss the Risotto, it will be a weeknight go-to for your meal rotation!
Coffee: January roasting is going down next week… get pre-orders in now to get the best coffee ☕️ delivered right to your door (Free Shipping for US)
But for now, this is the perfect time to talk about one of the most versatile cooking techniques you can have in your kitchen repertoire.
It’s also happens to be one of the most delicious.
The technique of Confit.
This is a universal technique that can be applied to almost any ingredient but most commonly you’ll see vegetables, pork, chicken, and the beloved-classic “Duck Confit”
What is Confit?
At its’ most basic, confit is a method of preserving ingredients using fat.
Traditionally, whole animals were processed and confit was developed as a “no waste” method. By slowly cooking parts of the animal in its own fat, the meat could be stored longterm. This was achieved by using the fat to submerge and seal the meat, acting as a barrier to prevent spoilage before mass refrigeration was available.
Magic:
Confit is one of those culinary “magic methods”. What started as a method of preservation has an amazing side effect: meltingly tender meat/vegetables. In the case of poultry, the skin renders all of the fat contained, which means after the confit process, you can pan cook duck or chicken legs and get a skin that is thin and crackling crisp. The texture contrast of glasslike skin, and meltingly tender meat is magical.
It’s a result that is near impossible to produce any other way, which is in large part why this method of cooking has withstood the test of time and remains a crucial technique for chefs and the efficient home cook.
Despite using a lot of fat, good confit should NOT be greasy. This is a sign of poor preparation. Luckily, the recipe below eliminates all of this!
Most of the process is hands off. Which means whether you’re working from home or work on site, you can fit this into your schedule easily.
Further, you can make large batches of confit. Simply store submerged in the fat they are cooked in and store in your refrigerator (A few caveats for optimum storage explained below). These will keep for 4 weeks, easily. Imagine having delicious protein ready to go, at a moments notice.
Batch cooking for Meal Plans?
Running behind for the day?
No problem… pull out some duck confit legs; ready in 15 mins. Serve with a fresh salad or with vegetables steamed while you crisp the confit.
If you ever have surprise guests you’ll absolutely wow them, guaranteed 👌
It’s really that simple… efficient… and other-worldly delicious!
Components:
Before we go through the full method and recipe, it’s best to take a macro view on what confit is. When you make confit you will have 3 resulting components.
The Meat/Vegetable: Meltingly tender, skin ready to be crisped like glass, and on hand for quick meals.
The Fat used to confit: This can all be re-used to make more confit. Also for any sautéing of vegetables, roasting vegetables and even using to finish pan sauces. Super versatile!
The geleé of protein liquid released during the slow cooking process. During the cook, meat will release water and contract (as with any other cooking method). This will accumulate on the bottom of the baking dish. It’s intensely flavored and very savory. Strain and Save this for adding to gravy’s, enriching stocks, etc.
Unlocking Secrets:
Below you’ll find a recipe that is bulletproof for making amazing duck confit. If you’ve never made confit before, this takes all the guesswork out and is a complete cheat code. If you have made confit, would highly recommend giving this one a try as there’s a huge hack for making sure your confit is always packed full of flavor.
If you’ve never made confit, 🐙 takes all the guesswork out